1. Field of the Invention
The present invention may relate to a labeling system for labeling containers and controlling the rotational movement of containers or vessels such as bottles and cans on a transport carousel.
2. Background Information
Such devices are used in particular in connection with labeling machines for containers, for example, bottles and cans. During the mechanical labeling process, the containers to be labeled may be transported by means of a conveyor device to the transport carousel of a labeling machine. In the peripheral area of the transport carousel, there may be rotationally mounted turntables, on each of which, by means of a descending centering device (also called a xe2x80x9cbellxe2x80x9d), a container may be fixed in position on the turntable. Around the transport carousel there may be one or more stationary labeling stations. There may also be a brushing station on the transport carousel, which brushing station may be used, for example, for spacing or affecting or regulating the movement of the containers or facilitating their movement. For the actual labeling process, the containers on the rotating transport carousel may be transported past the labeling station or stations, as the containers are simultaneously rotated by means of the turntable relative to the transport carousel in a defined sequence of rotational steps, to deliver and move the containers past the respective labeling stations and to apply the labels at a defined angular orientation and at a defined speed of rotation and angular velocity.
To control the rotation of the individual turntables relative to the transport carousel, attached to each turntable may be a cam follower guide device which, during the rotation of the transport carousel, may roll along a radial cam or control cam that may be essentially non-rotational with respect to the transport carousel and follows the pattern of this cam during the rotation of the transport carousel. On this stationary radial cam, the desired sequence of rotational movements may be specified by the shape of the radial cam. As a result of the rolling of the guide device, which has, for example, a cross-shaped arrangement of rollers attached non-rotationally to the bottom of the turntable, along the radial cam, the desired rotational movement may be transmitted by the guide device from the radial cam to the turntable.
The radial cam can be realized so that it is outboard with respect to the cross-shaped arrangement of rollers, so that the cross-shaped arrangement of rollers follows the shape of the inside surface of the radial cam.
A similar device of the known art is described in German Patent No. 33 07 662 C2, hereby incorporated by reference herein, for example, which relates to a labeling machine with an outboard radial cam.
The known art also includes a labeling machine designated xe2x80x9cContirollxe2x80x9d and manufactured by Krones AG, in which the outboard radial cam is divided into stationary segments, and one segment can be replaced or exchanged to vary the shape of the radial cam and thus the specified rotational movement of the turntable and to adapt it to the shape and size of the containers currently being processed in the vicinity of the labeling station.
Because during the operation of a labeling machine, different labeling stations are distributed over the periphery of the path of rotation of the turntables around the transport carousel to perform the different process steps, such as picking up the label, applying the glue, positioning the label on the container, pressing the label onto the container, etc. access to the transport carousel and the radial cam underneath it, or in any case access to the areas where labeling stations are located in proximity to the transport carousel, is either very difficult or essentially altogether impossible, it can be extremely difficult or altogether impossible to detach or remove segments of the radial cam. To replace the entire radial cam by replacing all the segments, it is therefore necessary to remove all of the labeling stations, so that the radial cam becomes accessible over its entire periphery. Such a removal process is labor-intensive, time-consuming and difficult and requires the machine to be shut down for a long time, if all or even some of the segments of the radial cam are to be replaced.
European Patent No. 0 547 427 B1, hereby incorporated by reference herein, describes a device to control the rotational movement of turntables, in which the outboard radial cam can be adjusted in the direction of rotation, to thereby make it possible to bring different radial cam shapes into the active area and into contact with the guide devices rolling past them, thereby making it possible to adapt the machine to different sizes of containers. On this device, therefore, the desired portion of the radial cam is brought into the active area as a result of the rotation. On the other hand, there are no replaceable radial cam segments, because the desired variability of the active radial cam shape is determined by the rotational setting of the radial cam.
One possible object of the present invention may be to create a device to control the rotational movement of containers in which essentially any desired radial cam can be essentially quickly and easily installed and removed, in particular essentially without a requirement for any tools.
At least one possible embodiment of the present invention preferably teaches that the radial cam segments may be detachably held on a cam carrier, whereby the cam carrier can rotate with respect to the stationary frame around the axis of rotation of the transport carousel. There may also be an immobilization device, by means of which the radial cam carrier can be detachably fastened in place to essentially prevent rotations with regard to the axis of rotation of the transport carousel.
In other words, in at least one possible embodiment of the present invention, the cam carrier may rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise.
On the basis of this possible configuration of the present invention, to replace a radial cam, the cam carrier can be released from its immobilized position and thus rotated, so that the radial cam segment to be replaced may come to lie in an easily accessible position. Following the replacement of the radial cam segment, the cam carrier can be rotated farther, and an additional radial cam segment can be replaced if necessary. After the replacement of all the desired radial cam segments, the cam carrier may be rotated back into its starting position and may be secured by means of the immobilization device to essentially prevent rotation, so that the radial cam can be essentially guaranteed to remain stationary. In this manner, the radial cam can be modified or completely replaced if necessary without having to dismantle and remove other devices that are located around the transport carousel. This capability may significantly reduce the amount of time and labor required to replace a radial cam.
The above-discussed embodiments of the present invention will be described further hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying figures. When the word xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d is used in this specification, the word xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d includes xe2x80x9cinventionsxe2x80x9d, that is, the plural of xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d. By stating xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d, Applicant does not in any way admit that the present application does not include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention, and maintains that this application may include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention. Applicant hereby asserts that the disclosure of this application may include more than one invention, and, in the event that there is more than one invention, that these inventions may be patentable and non-obvious one with respect to the other.